Finding a Brighter Day
When you are a young child, you feel small and naive and you
search for someone to hold on to that is bigger and gives a sense of security.
This person is usually a close family member or even a caretaker.
You look up to them, follow their every move, yearn to be just like them,
and never want to be away from them. They are always around you, playing
and caring for you, and when they are gone you constantly ask, “Where is
she/he?”
Both of my parents worked when I was little so I had to stay with a babysitter or a family member. I hated my babysitter, but then again, most kids do not like their babysitters. She would make me take naps and eat all of my lunch before I could run and play outside. I could not wait for the return of my mom, but on those special days when my aunt could watch me, I did not want my mom to come back to pick me up.
My aunt Andy was a beautiful woman. She was tall and thin, and her flawless porcelain skin looked great with her short dark hair. Aunt Andy was perfect in my eyes, and I loved her to death. We would play games and visit the horses together. We would go and buy a big bag of carrots to feed them. She would always let me play with the blue Play Doh on their big dining room table, and for snack she would always give me a clementine. I hated the white part so she would sit there with me and pick it off. She would do anything for me.
On a beautiful sunny day in June 2000, we got the call. She was on her way to teach and got hit by a truck that ran a red light. My little brother and I were supposed to spend the weekend at my uncle and her’s house while our parents went away. I was too young to comprehend what had happened; all I knew was that we were on our way to the hospital. When we got there she was already on life support. My uncle and grandparents were all there, crying and praying. I remember wanting to play with the stuffed bear that was lying beside her, but all they told me was no. It was not until August when they finally let her go. She was gone forever, and I would never see her again until that day came for me.
A few years later, my uncle moved to Michigan where he began seeing his current wife. She had lost her husband in a rescue mission and had three boys. They got married in Canada where her and her boys were originally from and we were all invited. I was not sure how I felt about obtaining a new aunt, it would change everything. After the wedding, my new aunt and cousins moved with my uncle back to Pennsylvania. That only lasted a few years and after my uncle received his degree in ministry, they moved back to Michigan, permanently.
In the time they lived only 20 minutes away from my home, I discovered I adored my new aunt just as much as I loved aunt Andy. I was sad to see them leave and go back to Michigan, but my grandparents told me that we would take a family vacation every summer so we could see each other.
Even though I lost my idol, I was happy I get to learn more about my new aunt. She is just as beautiful and compassionate as aunt Andy was. I will always miss and think about her, but they both did or will play important roles in my life and nothing can replace them or the memories. I might have lost an important person in my life, but I gained another one and could not be happier.
Both of my parents worked when I was little so I had to stay with a babysitter or a family member. I hated my babysitter, but then again, most kids do not like their babysitters. She would make me take naps and eat all of my lunch before I could run and play outside. I could not wait for the return of my mom, but on those special days when my aunt could watch me, I did not want my mom to come back to pick me up.
My aunt Andy was a beautiful woman. She was tall and thin, and her flawless porcelain skin looked great with her short dark hair. Aunt Andy was perfect in my eyes, and I loved her to death. We would play games and visit the horses together. We would go and buy a big bag of carrots to feed them. She would always let me play with the blue Play Doh on their big dining room table, and for snack she would always give me a clementine. I hated the white part so she would sit there with me and pick it off. She would do anything for me.
On a beautiful sunny day in June 2000, we got the call. She was on her way to teach and got hit by a truck that ran a red light. My little brother and I were supposed to spend the weekend at my uncle and her’s house while our parents went away. I was too young to comprehend what had happened; all I knew was that we were on our way to the hospital. When we got there she was already on life support. My uncle and grandparents were all there, crying and praying. I remember wanting to play with the stuffed bear that was lying beside her, but all they told me was no. It was not until August when they finally let her go. She was gone forever, and I would never see her again until that day came for me.
A few years later, my uncle moved to Michigan where he began seeing his current wife. She had lost her husband in a rescue mission and had three boys. They got married in Canada where her and her boys were originally from and we were all invited. I was not sure how I felt about obtaining a new aunt, it would change everything. After the wedding, my new aunt and cousins moved with my uncle back to Pennsylvania. That only lasted a few years and after my uncle received his degree in ministry, they moved back to Michigan, permanently.
In the time they lived only 20 minutes away from my home, I discovered I adored my new aunt just as much as I loved aunt Andy. I was sad to see them leave and go back to Michigan, but my grandparents told me that we would take a family vacation every summer so we could see each other.
Even though I lost my idol, I was happy I get to learn more about my new aunt. She is just as beautiful and compassionate as aunt Andy was. I will always miss and think about her, but they both did or will play important roles in my life and nothing can replace them or the memories. I might have lost an important person in my life, but I gained another one and could not be happier.
